partnered we are all pests, (2012), termites, pine, custom electronics and microphone system, acrylic, recycled paper products
This installation is a 9 foot by 9 foot pine floor that houses three termite enclosures. Each enclosure is filled with sculpted paper forms that are primarily made from human paper waste products (newspapers, paper cups, plates, phonebooks, copies of the artists electrical and gas bills, etc.) that are structurally reminiscent of termite colony construction. The termites are concurrently housed in these enclosures and naturally eat away at the paper forms. As the termites consume the paper forms they ultimately digest them and naturally release hydrogen gas thus taking human wastes and transforming them into gases. As the termites eat the paper in real time, the sound of their consumption is played through the work using sound transduction speakers. Viewers are invited to sit, lay, and gather in this shared table.
